Infinite Kates
by ucsbdad
Summary: A sort of a sequel to Interrogation of a Vampire, featuring characters from Castle, The Librarian, 24, CSI Miami, The Spirit, and Stiletto. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Infinite Kates?

Chapter One

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: There's a lot of this and I don't own any of it. Rating: K Time: Sometime after Interrogation of a Vampire.

She had just finished taking off her orange prison clothes and was down to her scratchy prison issue bra and panties when she felt her stomach tighten up again. She bent over and wondered if she'd throw up again. She stayed that way for a bit, then stood back up.

A door opened and a female guard she'd never seen before came in followed by a man in scrubs. She guessed he was a doctor from the hospital they'd brought her to.

The guard smiled coldly. "There you are, bitch. I thought I'd lost you and a hell of a lot of money, too."

She frowned having no idea what the guard meant. The doctor pulled a gun from under his shirt and aimed it at her. At the last second, he shot the guard in the head, the weapon only making a soft pop. She pitched forward, dead.

The fake doctor aimed at her again. "You ratted them out, Collette. You know what happens when you do that, don't you?"

As he started squeezing the trigger, the guard who'd brought her to the hospital opened another door. "Sullivan, what the hell is going…." She saw the dead guard and the man with a gun and went for her own gun. The man fired and hit the woman in the throat. She staggered back, clutching her throat with one hand and trying to pull her sidearm with the other. The man took a few steps towards her and shot her in the forehead. She dropped like a stone.

He turned back to her, again raising his weapon. "Goodbye, Collette.

"I'm not Collette. My name is Rita Sullivan and I'm…"

The man never fired, but began shaking and fell face forward. Behind him Rita saw a woman in prison orange holding a Taser, two wires led from the weapon to the man's back. The woman dropped the Taser by the dead guard and grabbed the man's pistol. "Did he say he was going to kill Collette?"

Rita just nodded.

The woman bent over the man, put the muzzle of his gun to his forehead and fired. The pistol once again made only a soft pop.

"You're a prisoner?" The woman asked Rita, gesturing to the orange clothes she had taken off.

Rita nodded. Then it hit her. "You're me."

She shook her head. "No, I'm Collette. Collette Stenger. I wondered why they were taking me to a hospital for a little rash. That's bitch sold me." Collette turned to the other dead guard and dragged her into the little dressing room. "Do you want to help me or do you want to stay here with three dead bodies?'

Rita nodded. "I want to go."

"Then check the two guards. Get their pistols, ammo and any money they have. Hurry."

Collette went through the pockets of the dead gunman. "We're rich." She said, holding up a thick envelope. "His pay. There's a good ten thousand here in hundreds." She checked his wallet. "And another couple of hundred. How much did you get from the guards?"

"Not much. Not even a hundred."

"Can you shoot?"

Rita shook her head. "Never."

"Okay, give me the weapons."

Rita hesitated for a moment, then handed them over.

Collette went back to the dead man. "And car keys. We have a ride."

"Sure, but how do we get out of here wearing orange prison clothing?"

"Just a second. "Collette disappeared into the next room and came back with a handful of hospital scrubs." Put these on and we'll just walk out. Wait. Grab your guard's ID badge, as hospital personnel we should have IDs. But put it on backwards. I'll use this one."

She knelt over the dead Federal Prison guard, then laughed. "They're helping us get away." Collette held up to cardboard signs that said, "Dangerous Chemicals. Do Not Enter." They figured they'd leave my dead body here and with the signs up, no one would check for a while." Collette placed the signs on both doors to the changing rooms.

They walked out of the hospital looking like just another two hospital employees. Once in the parking lot, Collette clicked the car key and got an answering beep. "Good, a nice non-descript, dark colored Ford. Get in."

Collette drove slowly away and headed for Interstate 95. Once on the highway, Collette drove at about five miles an hour under the speed limit. "What's your name again?"

"Rita Sullivan."

"You weren't in the Federal prison. Someone would have noticed us."

"I was in Florida State Prison."

"What for?"

"I stabbed my ex-boyfriend."

"Did he deserve it?"

Rita thought. "I guess so. He was Doug McClain, an ex pro football player. I had a son by him."

"The bastard dumped you, I bet."

"I never asked for a penny from Doug, but then Caleb became sick. It was his kidneys. He needed a transplant. I would have given him both of mine, I loved him so much, but I wasn't a match. The doctors thought Doug would be. I went to see him and he told me he'd have to talk to his lawyers. After that, he wouldn't talk to me. Caleb died. The bastard was a big sports hero, but he didn't care about his own son."

"So you killed him?"

Rita laughed. "I snuck into his house and stabbed him in the neck. But it didn't kill him. His wife came in later and found him. She decided to get rid of her cheating husband for good. She pushed the knife the rest of the way in. The DA decided to make a big deal out of it. His wife got life without parole. I was charged with attempted murder and got twenty five to life. The DA got reelected." Rita looked over at Collette. "What did you do?"

"I sold some things that didn't belong to me."

"You were like a fence?"

"Something like that."

They drove for two hours, the hitman having thoughtfully gotten a full tank of gas. Suddenly Collette slowed down and started to pull off the Interstate. "A shopping mall. We need clothes. You go in. Try to go to different stores, try to go to ones that are really busy so they won't pay attention to you. We're the same size so anything you can wear, I can wear. Get some shorts, since it's hot, but also some summer dresses. And two baseball caps and two pairs of sunglasses. And for God's sake, get some underwear. I hate this damned prison issue stuff."

Collette parked and gave Rita five hundred dollars. As she headed for the mall, she wondered if Collette would be there when she came out. Collette didn't really need her, after all.

Rita was pleasantly surprised to see Collette in the car when she came out a half an hour later with two bags full of clothes.

"Let's see what you got?" Collette said, opening the door.

She selected a pair of white shorts, a colorful tee shirt, some running shoes and a very flimsy bra and panty set. She go into the back seat and wriggled into her new clothes.

"I also got us hair brushes, an electric shaver, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and some makeup."

Collette laughed. "Thanks. You're a good partner. Now get in the back and change. I'll head for a fast food place for lunch."

As they drove, Rita considered Collette. "You have an accent. You're not an American."

"My father was German and my mother was French. I have dual citizenship."

"If you're just a fence, why did someone send a hit man to kill you?"

Collette shrugged. "Do you want to go back and ask him?"

They were almost to Jacksonville when Rita saw a sign. "Turn off the highway here."

"What is it? Trouble?"

"Opportunity. There's a college here. I was a bartender for a while in Miami. I never met a college student who didn't have a fake ID. We can get one around here, I bet."

Rita saw a group of male students and told Collette to stop. She walked over to the students and started talking. In a few minutes, she came back with a slip of paper in her hand. "The best phony ID guy is named Kurt and he lives about six blocks from here. He's a computer major and will probably have to take a cut in pay when he graduates, or go into more lucrative computer crimes."

Kurt lived on the second floor of a building that apparently was all college students from the sound of rock music and the number of empty beer cans around. They knocked and Kurt opened the door. He was tall and thin, but wiry, wearing cargo shorts and an Atlanta Braves tee shirt. "Can I help you?"

Collette pushed past him and into the apartment. "We need driver's licenses. Now."

Rita followed Collette in. The place was your basic shabby chic college apartment, something she'd been in a lot when younger.

Kurt smiled. "I'm afraid I can't help you, officers. Would you please leave?"

"What makes you think we're cops?" Collette asked sweetly.

"You have a gun tucked into the back of your shorts. Now get…."

He never got any further because Collette slammed her fist into his stomach and then kneed him in the balls. He dropped to his knees and when he looked up, Collette was holding a gun in one hand and some hundreds in the other. "We need driver's licenses. You can take our money, or…." She left the rest unsaid.

Kurt looked up and nodded. "It'll cost you a grand. Each. But I do the best work around. I have a contact that sends me real license blanks. All I have to do is fill them in and laminate them. What state do you want?"

"Florida. That a problem?"

"Not a problem."

Kurt took them into a bedroom and got to work. In a half an hour they were twins Collette and Rita Johnson from Miami. They carefully examined the licenses. "Okay, now hand over the memory card from your camera." Collette demanded.

"Why?"

"So you won't be tempted to give anyone our pictures. Okay?"

Kurt began to look stubborn. Collette smiled. "Look, you just made an easy grand. And if we really are bad people, you're an accessory. We're doing you a favor by taking the memory card. Now there's no proof you ever helped us. Okay?"

Kurt nodded slowly and handed over the memory card.

Collette smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, sweetheart. You have a good day, y'all hear?"

Once on the Interstate, Collette checked the clock and odometer. "We'll need to stop soon. We'll wait until we're in Georgia and find a nice place off the highway."

Just at dusk, they pulled into a Motel 6. Rita went inside and registered them. She came back out with two keys.

"How did it go?" Collette asked.

"I used my best southern accent to flirt with the boy behind the counter. I leaned over so he could see my boobs and told him that my sister and I had our credit cards stolen, but we had cash. He was so interested he never looked at my license and I wrote down the license plate so sloppily, no one will ever figure it out. And there's a Mickey Dee's right around the corner. Getting drive through will be better than going in where people can see us."

Once in their room and fed, Rita headed for the bathroom. "I've had all I can take of lukewarm showers with rusty water and a bunch of bull dykes, groping me. I'm going to take a long, hot shower."

"Go ahead. I want to watch the news. Just in case we're on it." Luckily, they weren't and when Rita came out, wrapped in a towel, Collette stopped her from getting dressed. "Drop the towel, I want to get a look at you."

Rita backed up. "Look, I did some things in prison because I had to…."

 **Author's note: In case you didn't already know it, Collette Stenger was played by Stana Katic on 24 and Rita Sullivan was played by Stana Katic on CSI: Miami.**


	2. Chapter 2

Infinite Kates?

Chapter two

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Not mine. Rating: K Time. After Interrogation of a Vampire.

Previously on Infinite Kates?...

Collette and Rita have escaped from prison and are now in a motel room. Collette tells Rita to strip. Rita is not interested, but…

Collette laughed. "I don't want to get you on your back and spread your legs. I want to see how much alike we really are." Collette began stripping. After examining themselves, they decided that except for a scar on Collette's ankle and a mole on Rita's back, they were identical.

"You're sure you were born in Europe?" Rita asked.

"Positive. I don't think we're twins if that's what you mean. It's just that we're identical."

Both women shrugged and then Collette took her shower. She got dressed and sat on the bed across from Rita. "We make a good team, I think. But I'll have to tell you more about myself. You were right, I'm more than a fence. I sold information. I sold information on things like security systems to thieves and….I sold some information about a natural gas plant to some Russian terrorists. They planned to kill, I don't know how many people. Thousands, hundreds of thousands. You never heard about it because the government covered it up. If you want to leave me, I'll understand. I wasn't a good person. I was serving a life sentence without parole. I won't go back." She tapped one of the pistols. "I'll use this instead. Plus, it appears that some of the Russians are still out there and want to kill me. Since we're alike, you could end up dead instead of me."

Rita nodded. "You said you were a bad person? Past tense?"

"On the last job, the Russians, I fell in love. His name was Theo and I loved him so much. And I thought he loved me, but he was an agent for German intelligence. He handed me over to the Americans. I hated him so much when he did that. I had plans to quit what I was doing. I imagined marrying Theo and settling down, a little _hausfrau_ someplace, with a job and kids. The whole thing. But then I thought about it. Why would a good man like Theo want to marry a cold blooded bitch like me? Someone who'd let thousands of people die for money. I had what the priests call an epiphany in prison. Oh, I know. Everyone finds Jesus in prison and vows they'll be good citizens once they're out and most of it's bullshit. I was in for life, so I had no chance of ever being a better person on the outside, but I did try to be a better person in prison. And I want to be a better person now. So, now you know about me."

Rita thought for a minute. "We do make a good team. And something like stabbing Doug will never happen again. I'm not a criminal. And if you're not going back into the life, we'll be okay. But, you start breaking the law, I mean more than something like hitting Kurt to get his attention, and I'm gone."

Collette nodded. "Deal, partner. Now we should get some sleep. I want to get out of here as soon as we can tomorrow."

"Are we headed for someplace, or just running?"

"I have some money in New York City. At least I hope I do. I never used regular banks or anything. They're too happy to honor subpoenas and spill all they have on you. I just hope the bastard didn't learn I was life without parole, grab my money and go."

They got up at dawn the next day and left. They drove for an hour before stopping for another drive through meal. They switched off driving every couple of hours, driving sedately in the slow lane and obeying every traffic law. They made it into South Carolina when Rita saw something ahead. "Myrtle Beach. It's perfect for us to stop there."

Collette looked at the car's clock. "It's early yet. We could drive for another couple of hours. Why stop now?"

"Because it's summer and Myrtle Beach is a huge party spot. If we can get a motel room, that is. But it'll be so crowded no one will notice two more hot chicks in town. I know, I was here for spring break, a long time ago. Before I ever met that bastard Doug."

Rita was right, the town was full of partiers and it was so busy no one would notice anything. Collette rolled down the window and asked people on the street where they could find a nice hotel room. All of the men offered to share theirs with them, and Collette sweetly turned them down. Finally, a couple of girls in Rutgers tee shirts suggested a motel on the beach. "It's a great place, but most people don't go there because it's _so_ expensive." The girl giggled. "Daddy is going to be so mad when he gets my credit card bill."

The girl was right, but the motel did have a few rooms left and it didn't seem as noisy as some of the hotels they'd passed. Rita told the sad story of how their credit cards had been stolen and was able to pay in cash. Although the manager did carefully check her driver's license and write down the car's plate number.

"This is living." Rita said once they were in their room. "God, they'd have ten convicts in a place this size. And no big screen TV. Let's see what's on."

Collette carefully checked the room out and then sat with Rita and watched the local news. Still nothing on TV about two dangerous escapers from Miami. "One thing we have to worry about is that we look alike." Collette explained. " By now the Feds and the Miami cops have figured out we're the ones who escaped and as soon as they see our photos together, they'll get suspicious. That's the silly sort of a thing TV news people like. "Coming up, two escaped prisoners find their perfect doubles.""

"Can we go out to dinner tonight?" Rita asked. "The place down the road looked packed and I love barbecue. And I'm sick of Mickey Dee's."

"What's barbecue?" Collette asked.

Rita smiled. "Girlfriend, we are definitely going out tonight. We'll never find good barbecue in New York."

"Okay, let me change into a dress."

"It's not that fancy a place…."But Collette was headed for the bathroom.

She came back out in just her bra and panties and a roll of surgical tape.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, but I'm not going out unarmed." She took her pistol and taped it to the inside of her thigh. "Rita, if we get stopped by the police, put your hands up, get away from me and scream "I surrender" as loudly as you can. I'm not going back to prison."

"Okay, but don't do anything unless everything else fails. I'm good at talking my way out of things."

"Just don't try to stop me when the time comes. I won't spend the rest of my life in prison."

Louisiana Red's was packed, but they managed to get a small table after a short wait. Collette suddenly realized something. "You'll have to order for me."

Rita frowned. "Why? I can help you…"

"No. It's my accent. I do speak excellent English, but I've never lost my German accent. That's the sort of thing people remember. We're twins and I speak with a German accent?"

Rita nodded. "Okay, I'll do the talking. But if we have to…."She stopped to think. "We'll use your story, except our dad was German and our mom was American. They divorced when we were little and you went to Germany with dad and I stayed in the US."

Collette frowned. "Do you think anyone will believe that?"

"It's better than me saying, "Gehman accent? Wha, sugah, I don't heah no Gehman accent."

Collette and Rita enjoyed their dinner, the best they'd had since before they were in prison. Collette worried that everyone was looking at her, but decided it was paranoia. _Except I do have real enemies._ She thought.

When they were done, Rita stopped on the street outside Red's. "I'd love to go to a bar, drink, dance, maybe meet some nice guy, but…"

"We can't take the chance." Collette finished for her. "Once we get my money, we'll go far, far away and we'll meet such great guys, we'll forget all about Doug and Theo." She looked over to see Rita was crying. "What?'

Rita shook her head. "I was just thinking about Caleb. No matter what happens, he's gone. Gone forever."

"And Caleb would want his mom to be happy, wouldn't he?"

Rita nodded. "He would. I know he would."

Collette helped her wipe the tears from her eyes and they continued on.

"Hey, we can cut through the alley here and get back to our motel. No one will see us."

They were half way down the alley when a woman came flying out of a doorway with a man right with her. The man grabbed her and threw her against wall on the far side of the alley. "Bitch. I'd like to take my time with you, but…" He pulled a gun from under his shirt and then noticed Rita and Collette. Collette had already pulled her dress up to draw her pistol, but the tape was making it hard to draw. "Run, Rita. Now."

Before the man could fire, Collette saw a flash of light blonde hair and the woman bit down hard on the man's wrist, almost causing him to drop the pistol. "Whore!" He said, punching her with his other hand. He turned to shoot at Collette, and Rita, who hadn't moved in spite of Collette's warning. Then there was a flash of steel and the man slowly collapsed, just as Collette finally managed to draw her gun.

"Don't move." Collette ordered as she and Collette walked to the woman.

"Are you going to kill me?" She asked, looking down at the gun at her feet and the stiletto in her hand.

Collette lowered her weapon. "Not unless you try to kill us."

"What do we do now?" Rita asked.

"We get rid of the body."

"You're going to help me get rid of him?" The blonde said disbelievingly.

"We don't need cops around here anymore than I bet you do."

The blonde nodded. "Okay. He parked his car around the corner right behind the bar. We should be able to get him in the trunk."

Collette knelt and picked up the pistol the thug had dropped and examined it. It was a .22 automatic with a suppressor. The weapon was powerful enough to kill at close range, but the suppressor would make it very quiet. She handed the weapon to Rita. "Blondie and I will carry him, like he's drunk. You stay behind us and keep that gun out of sight. There's a round in the chamber and the safety, the lever on the right, in on. Push it down to fire."

Collette and the woman carried the dead man down the alley and turned. When they did, the light from the street lamp illuminated the blonde's face. Rita gasped.

"What is it?" Collette demanded.

"Look at her face. She's…us."

The blonde looked at them, but with their faces shaded by their baseball caps, she could see no reason why she should be called one of them.

Collette dug he man's car keys out of his pocket and opened the trunk. They quickly threw him and locked it. Collette turned to the blonde. "You need to come with us. Our motel is just down the alley and to the right. We need to talk.

Since both of the women had guns and didn't want the police involved, the blonde felt she had no choice but to comply. Once in their hotel room, with the lights on and the baseball caps off, she saw why she'd been called one of them. "Are you twins?" She asked.

"No, not at all." Rita said. "This is bizarre. I feel like I'm in an episode of the Twilight Zone and soon everyone will look like me."

Collette was more dispassionate. "You have blood on your dress. Go into the bathroom and put it in the tub."

The blonde walked to the bathroom, stripped her dress off and began to soak it in the tub. Collette stood right behind her.

When they walked back into the room, Collette spoke. "Take off your bra and panties. Strip."

The blonde smiled at them. "If that's what you want, you'll find I can be quite accommodating. And fun."


	3. Chapter 3

Infinite Kates?

Chapter Three

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer. I do not own any of this. Rating: K Time: After Interrogation of a Vampire.

Previously on Infinite Kates?...

I keep ending these chapters with some hottie being told to strip. Could UCSBdad be writing some porn here? No, not at all. Am I imagining some porn? No comment.

Collette laughed flatly. "Everyone seems to think I'm a lesbian. I want to check you out and see if you're really the same as us. Have you had any work done?"

"None."

"She's a natural blonde." Rita pointed out. Aside from that, and except for some bruises and scrapes she'd picked up in the fight, she was identical to Rita and Collette.

"Put your undies back on." Collette went to one of the shopping bags and pulled out a summer dress. "You can wear this. We're pretty obviously the same size. Then you can tell us all about yourself. Start with your name."

"I'm Raina Mavias."

"Russian?" Collette asked.

"Yes. And you're German. And you're …friend? American?"

"Tell us why some guy was trying to kill you." Collette snapped.

Raina sat and organized her thoughts. "I was the mistress of a gangster in LA named Virgil Vadalos. I really loved him and although he was married, he loved me as well." She heard Rita snort in derision, but kept talking. "Virgil arranged for my little sister, Staysa, to come to the US from Russia. But the men sent to pick her up at the airport and take her to the safe house said she never got off the plane. Virgil told me he had looked everywhere. Then I talked to Alex, Virgil's cousin. He told me that the men had gotten high and looked at poor Staysa as just another Russian whore. They raped her and when she fought back, they bashed her head in with a bottle. Alex said Virgil found out about it and had Staysa put in the garbage. A garbage man found her and took her to a hospital. I found her there, a vegetable, from the beating. Alex said Virgil wouldn't start a war over one Russian girl, so he lied about it and covered up what had really happened. Alex told me who the men were and I started to kill them. I failed when I tried to kill Virgil. So I started on some bikers. I decided to kill Virgil last. When I got to Virgil, a dirty cop that Virgil owned told me that Virgil was under surveillance by the FBI and was nowhere near that safe house. Alex had used me to kill Virgil so he could take over. I had shot Virgil in the legs, so I had to flee. I heard later that the dirty cop figured that the way to get out from under Virgil's control was to kill Virgil and blame me."

"So if this Virgil is dead, who's trying to kill you?" Collette asked.

"Virgil's wife, Sylvia. She already hated me for being Virgil's mistress, so she accepted what the dirty cop said without any question. She didn't have the knowledge or the connections to keep up Virgil's drug dealings, prostitution and everything else. His competitors grabbed that. But she has all of his legitimate businesses and his investments and money. And she still knows how to hire killers. So, that's who's trying to kill me and why." Raina looked carefully at the two women. "And what's your story?"

Rita and Collette exchanged glances, then first Rita and then Collette told their stories.

"So the police are after you two and killers are after me. We're not doing well, are we?"

"Do you have a car?" Collette asked suddenly.

"Yes. Why?"

"What kind and where did you get it?"

"A Chevy four door sedan, but with an eight cylinder engine. Hard on gas, but if I have to outrun someone, it's better."

"Where did you get it?"

"I bought it from some redneck in Oklahoma. Paid in cash and used a made up name. He didn't care. He just signed it over to me."

Collette nodded and began to think.

"What is it?" Rita asked.

"By now the cops have figured out who the killer in the hospital was. They're bound to run his phones and financials and find out about his car. We need a new car and she needs help getting away." Collette turned to Raina. "I think the three of us will be safer, at least in the short term, together. Rita and I are headed for New York. I have some money there, I hope. Once we're there, we can figure out what to do next. What do you say?"

Raina shrugged. "Okay. I'd still like to know how three women who look more or less alike ended up together."

"That makes three of us." Rita said.

The next day they drove both cars to the nearest airport and parked Rita and Collette's car in long term parking. It would be weeks before anyone wondered about it, they hoped. Then they headed for New York.

Kate Castle leaped off of the couch as soon as she heard the knock on the door. She threw the door open and hugged her friend. Then she saw the stroller. "Oh! This is little Flynn! Simone, he's so cute. Come in, come in."

She had brought her newborn, Lilly, downstairs and put her in a playpen. She put little Flynn beside Lilly. Both babies were fast asleep. "How is he?" She asked.

Simone smiled hugely. "I have no idea where Judson gets his specialists at The Library, but little Flynn is one hundred percent human. He won't be what his mother is."

"Sure he will. He'll be a wonderful human being that everyone loves."

Simone blushed. "Thank you. You have no idea how wonderful it is to have friends after all these centuries. You, Rick, the Ryans, Esposito and Lanie, Alexis and your dad…" Simone began to cry. "And my wonderful Flynn, of course. I've never been so happy, Kate. "

Kate put her arms around her friend and hugged her. "As Rick once said to me, you deserve to be happy."

"There's something else I can be happy about. See how big my boobs have gotten? I'm producing milk for little Flynn, just like a human mother."

Kate hugged Simone again. "Simone, we've all told you a thousand times. You're a human and you always have been."

She nodded. "It's just hard to think of myself as not being…different. And there's more. I'm eating a lot more now and not drinking so much blood. I sleep a lot at night and I'm awake most of the day. And listen to this." She took Kate's hand and put it on her neck. "There! Did you feel it?"

"Was that your heart beating?"

Simone laughed. "It's only once every fifteen or twenty minutes, but I think I'm becoming more human. Judson has let us take the Judas Chalice back to our house and I keep it by me when we sleep. I don't know how, but I think it's changing me from a vampire to a human. Not entirely. I still have fangs and I can still move from place to place, but I know I'm getting better."

Kate was curious. "Odd. The killer vampire, Grace or Gnaeus Pompieus Strabo, had the Chalice for centuries after Judas turned him and he became less human. Any ideas?"

Simone shrugged. "The best that Flynn can come up with is that I want to be human and the Chalice somehow senses that. I don't really know." Simone looked around. "Hey. Where's Rick?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Out buying all the coolest and latest baby stuff there is. He was supposed to be back an hour ago, but you know Rick."

Simone nodded. "Flynn is the same. But, in addition to all the baby gear he's bought, he's been ransacking The Library. If we're ever attacked by an ancient Egyptian demon, we have the right amulet to ward him off."

Kate laughed. "Rick has baby monitor cameras all over the loft, tied into our phones. Kate pulled out her phone and showed Simone little Lily and Flynn sleeping in the playpen. "I've told Rick that one day we'll see videos of us making love on the internet, but….He's Rick."

"Once we found out I was pregnant, Flynn acted like I was make out of glass or something. Afraid to let me do anything, constantly asking if I was okay, and hovering over me."

"That's was Rick, too. I liked being spoiled for a while, but after a while it got to me. What is it with men and their pregnant wives?"

Simone smiled sweetly. "They love us."

Kate nodded. "Yes, they do."

Simone and Kate continued to talk about their lives until there was a knock on the door. "Rick would have his keys. Why would he knock?" Simone was surprised when Kate got her Glock from Rick's office.

"Something wrong?" She asked, preparing to help her friend if something was wrong. But, it was Rick at the door, his arms so full of packages, he couldn't reach his pockets for his keys.

"Something wrong?" He asked, seeing the Glock.

"It's nothing." She said, heading back to his office.

When she came back out, she found Rick looking at her. "Don't tell me nothing is wrong, Kate. Not when you greet me at the door with a gun."

"I got a death threat yesterday. Drug dealers, making meth. They said they knew where I lived, and all about my husband and child. Cops get death threats all of the time."

"You don't come to the door with a gun all the time, though."

She nodded. "It's just left over hormones."

Castle looked at her for a moment. Then he smiled. "Let me show you two what I got today."

The three women had spent the night in New Jersey so they could get to New York City nice and early. Collette drove since she knew where she was going.

"You're sure this hotel will be safe?" Raina asked. "I'd prefer someplace less fancy where no one will notice us."

Collette laughed. "No one will notice us at the Belvedere. That's what they're famous for, their discretion. Lots of wealthy men meet their "daughters" and "nieces" there. No one ever notices a thing."

"I didn't take you for that kind of a girl." Raina said.

"I'm not, but I do appreciate a place that ignores their guests as much as the Belvedere does."

Collette was right. They paid in cash and were given room keys. No one asked to see a driver's license or any other form of ID.

Collette had paid for two adjoining suites. She and Rita would be in one and Raina in the other. Raina looked around both suites. "Very nice. Everything is high quality and we even have a computer. Do you mind if I do an online search to see if anyone is after me?"

Collette nodded. "Good idea. Once you're done, we'll check for Rita and me."

Raina first tried her own name and found some old articles about the death of Virgil Vadalos in which she was named as a suspect. Expanding her search, she found a small article about Sylvia Vadalos opening a new restaurant, but nothing further. "She's like Virgil. Smart enough to keep a low profile. But the bitch still wants me dead, I'm sure."

Collette went online with both Rita and Raina looking over her shoulder. There was a short article in the Miami Ledger about murders in a local hospital. A man dressed as a doctor had murdered two prison guards and then been killed with his own gun. Two female prisoners had escaped and were on the loose. There were pictures of the two dead guards, but no photos of Rita and Collette.

"That's damned odd." Collette said. "Our pictures ought to be all over the papers. Even if we didn't look alike, we're still escaped prisoners. How can they not put our pictures in the paper?"

"You said a crooked guard brought you there so you could be killed?" Raina asked.

"Yes. Me, but not Rita."

"So maybe there are more crooked cops out there. If they make too big a deal out of your escape, they'll get looked at and found out. Someone may want you to escape rather than be exposed as corrupt."

"Makes sense." Rita said.

"It does make sense, but I'd just as soon never find out why they, whoever they are, isn't making a big deal about this. I want us to get away as well."

None of the three much liked it, but they decided to stay in and have room service. They were all too worried about being caught, either by the police or by a hitman.


	4. Chapter 4

Infinite Kates?

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I infinitely don't own any of this. Rating: K Time: After Interrogation of a Vampire.

Previously on Infinite Kates?...

The ladies are all in Manhattan now. What could possibly go wrong?

The next morning they dressed in nice summer dresses, tried to use makeup to make themselves look as little like themselves as possible and wore ball caps and large sunglasses. Collette found a taxi that took them to an upscale coffee shop just off of Wall Street. Collette looked around once inside and smiled. "There he is. Corner table, grey suit and it looks like he has a toupee now. I hope I didn't buy that for him."

The three women walked over and sat at the man's table. He looked up at them and smiled. "What a lovely surprise, ladies. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Collette didn't smile back. "It's business and not pleasure, Milo. I want my money. Now."

Milo looked more closely at Collette. "Collette? Is that you? I'd heard you were…..unavailable."

"I made a little deal and got an early release." Collette lied.

"You don't say." He said with a blank look on his face.

"Oh, don't worry, Milo. I didn't tell the Feds all about you. After all, I'd lose all of my money if they ever caught you, wouldn't I?"

"Getting your money could be a problem." Milo said.

"I suggest you solve the problem."

"I don't keep my client's money under my mattress, you know. It's invested. I can transfer it to a financial institution of your choice."

"No, cash. How much do I have?"

Milo looked briefly at the ceiling. "Four million, two hundred and seventy four thousand dollars. How quickly to you want it?"

"Now would be fine."

Milo got a predatory gleam in his eye. "If you're square with the Feds, why the hurry?"

Collette shrugged. "I may have neglected to mention my assets, and the fact that I've never paid any income taxes on them. I'm not sure the people I dealt with entirely believe me. They are not the most trusting of people."

Milo shook his head. "You really never should have gotten in bed, so to speak, with the Russians. That was a mistake."

She smiled at him. "So? Life is hard and then you die. When can I get my money?"

"In three days."

She shook her head. "In two days. I'm willing to take a small loss on the stocks and bonds to get this done quickly. A small loss, Milo. A small loss."

"Collette, things are not that…"

"Two days, Milo." The three women got up and left.

Once outside, Collette checked how much cash they had. "We need more clothes. Nicer, more expensive clothes. Suitcases for me and Rita and three big purses. I'm tired of having this damned gun taped to my thigh." She looked at her companions. "Shall we go shopping?"

"Three burner phones would be nice, too." Raina said.

They went back to the hotel with their purchases and had another room service meal.

The next morning, dressed in their new clothes, but still wearing sunglasses, Collette decided to go light a fire under Milo. The other two went with her, carrying large purses that were heavier than one might think.

"Collette. How nice to see you. It appears that you've been a naughty girl."

"You know I'm a naughty girl." She purred. "Do I need to show you how naughty I can be?"

Milo smiled coldly. "I was reading the Miami paper. All about a killing and some escaped prisoners."

Collette shook her head. "That little piece of theater?"

"Theater?" Milo frowned slightly.

"You don't think that they could just let someone doing life without parole walk out of prison by the front gate, did you? How much attention would that draw? And if I were a free woman, reporters would be expecting to be able to talk to me. Didn't you think it was odd that the Miami paper had no photo of me? An escaped prisoner and their photo isn't all over the state? Really, Milo. Now, how about my money."

Milo changed gears quickly. "Do you know how much a million dollars in hundreds weighs?"

"How much?"

"Twenty two pounds, more or less. That means you'd be trying to carry around nearly a hundred pounds of cash. It's also quite bulky. You can't exactly put it in your purse."

"What do you suggest?"

"I can get you bearer bonds. I can get them in large enough denominations that you can carry everything in your purse."

Collette thought it over. "Okay, but we'll need cash. Say a hundred thousand in hundreds? And I'd better not get any bonds you printed up yourself."

Milo did his best to look shocked. "Considering the clients I have, if I ever did something like that, I'd be out of business permanently. Tell you what. I'll give you everything in bearer bonds and I'll go with you to the reputable financial organization of your choice and you can get your hundred thousand in cash there. Is that reasonable?"

"When?"

"Say at three o'clock."

"We'll be back."

Back outside, Collette looked around. "There's a nice quiet coffee shop not too far from here. We can kill a few hours there, then go to lunch and get back to Milo. I just hope the cops aren't waiting for me and Rita."

"If he's bent why would he call the police?" Rita asked. "You could expose him, right?"

Collette nodded. " I've never trusted him, but….I have no choice."

The coffee shop was perfect. There was one barista here, who looked like a teenager and one woman sitting in the back, facing away from them.

The three got their coffee and sat with their backs to the wall.

They sipped there coffee, each lost in her own thoughts. That's how they missed the men coming in. The one who entered through the front drew a sawed off shotgun from under his coat and pointed it at them. "Get up, you bitches. Move to the back."

They saw that a second man had come through the back and had shoved a pistol in the face of the woman on the end of the shop. As they were herded to the back, they saw the woman pulled to her feet and punched in the stomach, bending her over. The man pulled a pistol from under her jacket and then a badge.

"You mess with my family, bitch? You're about to find out what it's like to be messed with. Messed with good." He hit her again, knocking her to her knees.

Raina dropped to her knees and threw her arms around the waist of the man with the shotgun. "Please, please don't kill me. I'll do anything for you. Anything." Raina began to unbutton her blouse with one hand. The other hand slipped towards her purse and the pistol inside. The man smiled and turned to his companion. "Hey, this could be…"

As soon as his head turned, Raina pushed her pistol into his crotch and fired straight up. The bullet went through his groin, his intestines, liver, stomach, lungs and exited through his shoulder. He fell and was silent.

Seeing Raina's hand go to her purse, Collette went for her gun. Distracted by the death of his partner, the man was too slow to bring his pistol to bear on Collette. She put two rounds into his chest.

"Damn it." Rita cried. "It won't fire." Her pistol was out and she was pulling the trigger, but nothing was happening.

"Rita, you have the safety on." Collette reached over and put the safety off. "It's off now. So be careful."

The barista took her chance to escape. She ran out the front door screaming.

"Shit!" Collette yelled. "We have to go." She glanced at the woman on her knees. "She's a cop. We'll have to take her with us."

She grabbed the woman under the arm and pulled her up. "You'll have to come with us." As she did, another man threw open the back door. "What the hell happened? We were…." He saw the women with guns and went for his own, but too late. All three fired at him. Collette hit him in the chest, Raina in the stomach and Rita in the left hand.

"Out the back. Maybe they have a car."

They did, but someone was just opening the door on the driver's side, also pulling his gun. The women fired through the windshield, also killing him.

"Damn!" Raina said. "We can't drive around in a car with bullet holes all over it. Have you ever shot anything before, Rita?"

Rita shook her head, looking like she might cry.

Riana hugged Rita. "Don't worry about it. If they were grabbing a cop, they were no good." At least Raina hoped they weren't.

"Jesus!" Collette said softly. "Look at her. It's another one."

Captain Kate Castle had no idea of what she was another one of, she was just glad to have been saved. "I'm a cop. Captain Kate Castle, 12th Precinct, NYPD. I'll testify that what you did was self defense. These men were dangerous killers. Nothing will happen to you if you…"

Collette pushed a gun into her ribs. "Nothing will happen to you, Captain, if you shut up and do what we tell you."

"What do we do now?" Raina asked, still with her arm around Rita.

"I know just the place. It's about two blocks from here." She turned to Kate. "Just walk with us and everything will be fine. Otherwise…." She didn't have to say anymore.

As the four women walked away, the police were beginning to converge on the coffee shop. They found dead bodies and an NYPD badge. A quick check established it was Captain Castle's.

Rick was sitting in his wife's office, chatting with their friend Simone when Ryan stuck his head in. "Rick, we just got a call from the One Eight. There was a shooting at a coffee shop. There are four dead males and they found your wife's badge and her Glock. They don't know where she is."

Castle was out of his chair at once, quickly followed by Simone.

"Espo's getting the car. He'll meet us out front." Ryan said.

They stopped at the elevator. "Simone, you don't have to come."

"Really, Rick. I'm an honorary, assistant, unpaid, supernumerary homicide detective. Of course I'll come."

The drive to the crime scene was one of the longest in Rick's life. When they got there the Captain of the 18th Precinct was there. Captain Beaulieu was a tall, African American, now somewhat running to fat. "We haven't found your wife, Mr. Castle." He said at once.

"What the hell happened? She was just going for some coffee at this new place she'd heard about."

"We talked to the barista, who made her escape. She said three women came in just after your wife did and sat in front. Your wife was in the back. Two men came in, armed, one through the front and one through the back. They pushed all of the women to the back. Then the three women began shooting."

"Who were the women?"

Beaulieu shrugged. "We don't know. The description from the barista is pretty generic. Tall, well dressed and good looking."

"What about the men?"

"Members of Charley Renfrew's family."

"The drug dealer? He said he was going to kill Kate." He shook his head sadly. "This can't be happening."

Simone took Rick's hand. "Rick, these drug dealers are dead. And the women didn't kill Kate, so they're not after her. That means they're too smart to kill a cop for nothing."

"Maybe."

Beaulieu spoke. "The barista said the women walked here. I have foot patrols all over. We'll find them and get your wife back safely."

Castle felt sick. Whoever these women were, they were dangerous killers and they had Kate.


	5. Chapter 5

Infinite Kates?

Chapter 5

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: There's a whole lot I don't own. Rating: K Time: After Interrogation of a Vampire

Collette led them to an undistinguished looking building and took them through the front door, after punching some numbers into a keypad. Inside was a small foyer, a steel door and another keypad. Collette stood between the other women and punched a code into the pad. The door popped open.

Kate got a look at the door as they passed it. It looked like it belonged in a bank vault. Down a hallway was a bank of three elevators. Collette went to the middle elevator and placed her hand against sheet of glass and then put her eye against a smaller sheet of glass.

 _Finger print and retinal scans?_ Kate thought. _Someone is serious about security._

The elevator door opened and the women went in. There were no numbers on the control panel, just another glass plate. Collette put her hand on the plate and then put her eye at the top of the plate. The elevator door closed and they rose. The door opened and they walked down another hall. Collette used one more fingerprint and retinal scan and a door opened. Inside was a sparsely furnished apartment. There was what appeared to be a sofa bed, two chairs and two tables, a desk and a TV. There was a counter on one end with a refrigerator, a microwave and a coffee machine. There were also two cabinets. At the end of the room was a door that Kate guessed led to a bathroom.

"She _is_ one of us." The blonde said, pushing Kate's hair away from her face.

"What do you mean, I'm one of you?"

The three women took off their sunglasses. While their hair was different, the faces were hers, as were their bodies. First she thought of Jerry Tyson and Dr. Kelly Neiman. Then she thought of Simone and Officer Morgenstern. "Have you had cosmetic surgery?" She asked.

The woman she guessed was their leader shook her head. "No, and we're not your long lost sisters, either. Have you had cosmetic surgery?"

"No."

The one called Rita spoke. "God. Another one. It's like living in an episode of the Twilight Zone." Rita looked sick. "Oh, god! I think I'm going to puke."

"Rita….? The blonde asked.

"The gunfight. I'm…."She ran to the bathroom. Kate could hear her vomiting.

The blonde looked to the leader. "Collette? Should I…"

"Go with her, Raina."

When Collette turned to watch Raina follow Rita into the bathroom, Kate had her chance. She reached for her backup in the holster at her ankle. Collette heard something and whirled just as Kate drew her other Glock. "Collette, don't…" Was all he further she got when the woman leaped at her. Kate tried to hit Collette with her pistol, but the other woman grabbed her gun hand. Kate was surprised that Collette didn't try to get the gun away from her or turn the gun on her. In a split second she understood what Collette was trying to do. She had shoved he gun under her own chin and she was trying to force her finger onto the trigger so she could kill herself. Kate barely managed to put the safety on when Raina raced out of the bathroom with her pistol drawn.

"Collette! Don't! Take your hand off the gun now!" She shoved her gun against Kate's forehead. "Don't shoot."

"The safety is on. She's trying to kill herself." Kate yelled.

Raina reached over and gently pulled Collette's hand off of Kate's Glock. By that time Rita was out of the bathroom covering Kate with her pistol.

Kate let Raina take her back up pistol away. "Okay. Okay."

"Next time just shoot me!" Collette screamed at Raina.

Rita put her arm around Collette's shoulder. "Not if there's a choice. And there was."

Collette took several deep breaths and seemed to get her composure back. "See if she has handcuffs."

Soon Kate was handcuffed to the handle of the refrigerator. Surprisingly, Collette pushed a chair over so Kate could sit. She also opened the refrigerator and handed out bottled waters to everyone, including Kate. A kitchen cupboard yielded some energy bars for everyone.

Collette smiled. "This condo is definitely the best property investment I ever made."

Kate decided to ask a question. She was worried about the answer. "What's going to happen to me?"

"We'll leave you here when we leave tonight. I'll call 911 and tell them where you are."

"Could you call my husband, too? My phone's back at the coffee shop, but I'll give the number to you."

"Sure. I'm sure he's worried sick about you. I'll call him as soon as we're far enough away."

"I'm a police captain and my husband is Richard Castle, the author. He's quite rich and he knows people. He's good friends with a number of politicians. Whatever you've done, I can help you. You did save my life."

Collette shook her head briskly. "No one can help me. I won't go back to prison and I won't go back to being what I was. My only choices are death or freedom." She glanced at the other two women. "You might be able to help them, though."

Raina looked at Kate for a moment, then shook her head. "I had a cop help me once. But he was dirty and he killed someone and blamed it on me, so now I'm running for my life." Raina looked away, then spoke. "There is someone you might be able to help…." She shook her head again. "If I need your help I'll write to you at your precinct."

"Raina, I really do want to help you, all of you. Rita? Can I help you?"

"No, I have nothing anymore. Really no one but these two. I doubt you can do anything, but if worse comes to worse, I may get in touch with you."

Kate decided to bring up another subject. "You aren't the first people I've met that look like my twins. There's a friend of mine and an officer who just got assigned to the precinct out of the academy. We checked our DNA and we're not at all related. Do you have any idea how this could happen? All of us looking the same?"

All three women shook their heads.

"I think it's just some vast cosmic joke on the three of us. You and your friends seem to be doing well and we're…We're not." Collette got to her feet. "I want to see what the TV news has to say about us."

The story was on several 24 hour news channels. But there were no photos of any of them and no one said anything about three women who looked exactly like Captain Kate Castle. There were TV news crews all around the coffee shop, but none near their hide out and they could see no cops anywhere near them by looking out the window.

Finally it was time to meet with Milo. Collette took the two others into the bathroom. "There's an emergency escape here. You turn the shower head to the right and the wall here opens. You can go down, follow a tunnel and you'll come out a block away. If the cops show up, or I don't make it back, I'm leaving all of the money we still have. Make your escape and call Captain Castle's husband to come get her as soon as you're safe."

Rita hugged her. "Be careful."

Riana hugged her, too. "This is like having two more sisters. Take care."

Collette walked out of the condo, feeling like she had a giant target on her back that everyone could see. But she walked confidently to the coffee shop that Milo used for his headquarters. He was at his usual table and smiled when he saw her. Collette scanned the crowd in the coffee shop. None of them looked like cops but too many damned cops didn't look like cops until the slapped the cuffs on you. Like Theo had. She walked over and sat across from Milo.

"The market was _very_ up today. After my almost negligible commission, you have four million, one hundred and ten thousand dollars in bearer bonds." He slid a file across to her.

"These are payable in Euros." She said suspiciously.

"Any reputable financial organization will change them to dollars or whatever currency you wish. Are you ready to go to collect your cash?"

Collette had picked Morton and Stanley as it was close and it was a very reputable firm. If Milo was trying anything, Morton and Stanley would let her know.

Milo and Collette walked over to Morton and Stanley's main office. Collette had her head on a swivel, but saw nothing suspicious. They were quickly ushered into a plush office where a well dressed and distinguished looking man greeted them, introducing himself as Charles Richmond

"I understand you need to cash in some European bearer bands?"

Collette smiled. She had taken a hundred thousand dollars' worth of bonds out randomly in case Milo had put phony bonds on top or on the bottom. She handed them over.

Richmond looked them over and smiled. "And you'd like that how?"

"Hundreds, please."

He hit his office intercom. "Brenda, could you please bring me one hundred thousand dollars from the safe, please?"

In minutes a young woman came in with a briefcase with Morton and Stanley's logo on it. Collette signed some paperwork and got the briefcase. It was full of hundreds.

"Don't you want to count it?"

Collette laughed. "If I can't trust Morton and Stanley, who can I trust?"

Once outside, Milo left her and went on his way. Collette headed away from him. She began to relax. If anyone was going to arrest her because of Milo it would be now that he was away from her, but nothing happened.

A car door slamming caught her attention. On her right, a man and a woman were getting out of the car, both glaring at her. He reached under his coat for something and Collette reached into her purse for her gun. She was going to be too damned late.

"Kate!" Screamed a man from her left. Collette knew it must be a cop looking for Kate Castle, but the man and woman were surprised by two more Kate Castle's showing up. One was in civilian clothes and one was a uniform. He hesitated as to which to kill, and that cost him. Collette pulled out her pistol just as the man turned to her. She fired first and put a round through the man's head. The woman screamed and fired, missing Collette by ten feet. Collette didn't miss, putting a round through the woman's throat. She staggered back, spraying blood.

"Kate."

Collette turned and saw a tall, good looking man headed for her, concern plain on his face. This could only be Captain Castle's husband. Behind him the uniform, who looked like Kate was drawing her weapon. Another woman who was also like Kate followed the man.

Collette was about to use her pistol to end everything when she saw a way out. A young man on a motorcycle had stopped and was gawking at the bodies. She dashed between two parked cars and shoved her gun in the man's face. "Get off!" She screamed.

"What?" He said, just sitting there.

Collette shoved him off and gunned the engine, feeling the man's hands just brush her back as she roared away.

"Kate! Stop!" Rick Castle yelled after her.

Both Simone and Officer Morgenstern ran up to him. "Why didn't she stop? Why did she run from me?" He asked.


	6. Chapter 6

Infinite Kates?

Chapter Six

By UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Even if there are many UCSBdads, none of us would own Castle. Rating: K Time: After Interrogation of a Vampire.

Previously on Infinite Kates?...

Kate Beckett lookalikes all over. How will we ever sort them out?

"Her hair was different. Darker and curlier, I think." Simone said. "Perhaps this one was like me and Morgenstern. And it wasn't Kate at all."

Rick shook his head in disbelief. "More….Kates?"

Simone smiled. "More Simones, n'cest pas?"

Officer Morgenstern ran up to them. "Sir, I checked their wallets. The dead man is Charley Renfrew and the woman is his sister Monica."

Rick nodded, numbly, too worried about Kate to think of anything else. Simone took over. "Find the man whose motorcycle was stolen. Get a description and the license number. Get an APB out." Officer Morgenstern ran off.

"RIck, I can jump after that woman. Maybe catch her."

He shook his head. "You can't do that here. Morgenstern doesn't know about your…"Castle quickly looked around, "your special abilities."

"You mean that I'm a vampire?"

"Yes. And according to Kate you're becoming more human. Maybe you can be killed now. I can't let you take that chance."

Morgenstern came back. "All done, sir. I should go after the woman now."

"No, you two go back to the precinct. I'll look for Kate and the woman."

Simone put her arm through his. "She is my very best friend. I'm going with you."

"And you're not really a cop, sir. And I just witnessed two killings and a theft. But we can take my car."

"Can I drive?" Castle asked.

Morgenstern laughed. "Like that's going to happen."

Collette drove back to her condo and pushed the bike up the stairs. She opened first the outer door and then the inner steel security door. She pulled the bike inside where no one could see it from the outside, then went upstairs."

"Are you all right?" Rita said when she walked in.

"What happened? The TV news said there was a shooting related to the coffee shop shooting."

Collette held up the briefcase. "We have the money. We're set."

"What about the shooting?" Rita demanded.

"I was headed back here on foot when a man and a woman jumped out of the car. They were going to shoot me, but got distracted. Kate, I think I saw your husband."

"What? Is he all right? What happened?"

"He's fine. I killed the man and woman and borrowed a motorcycle to make my getaway. I left the bike with a thousand dollars downstairs."

"You're sure it was my husband?"

"Tall, dark hair, good looking, and he was with a woman in civilian clothes that looked like you and a uniformed officer who also looked like you. They're all fine. In fact your husband almost caught me when I made my getaway." She turned and looked at her friends, smiling. "Now I have to make some phone calls." Collette retreated to the bathroom and came out a half an hour earlier. "We'll have a car coming to pick us up in half an hour. We should change our clothes so we don't look like the women the police are chasing."

She went over to Kate. "I bought you something before I got my money." She took out a package of hacksaw blades and handed them to Kate. "It would take you forever to saw through the links on your cuffs, but you should be able to saw through the refrigerator's door handle much easier. We'll still make a call to your husband, but I'll leave one of our unused burner phones for you."

The women quickly changed and organized their suitcases. Then Collette got a call. "It's the car. He's ten minutes out."

Collette hugged Kate. "Sorry we had to do this to you. And if my friends end up needing help, please do what you can for them."

"Collette, if things don't work out for you, as you want, let me know. Maybe I can help you."

The two other women hugged Kate and thanked her for offering to help them.

They went into the bathroom and Kate heard the squeaking of rusty hinges. She assumed there was some sort of escape from the condo there. She began sawing away at the door to the refrigerator she was handcuffed to. Before she had freed herself she heard heavy machinery noise coming from downstairs and smiled. Collette had called and Rick was probably supervising the knocking down of the doors.

They still hadn't reached her when she freed herself so she picked up the burner and called Rick.

"Hi, babe."

"Kate! Is that you?"

"Who else were you expecting?" She teased.

"There is another one of you out here, we think. Are you sure you're you?"

"Would you like me to tell you about the first time I showed you my ice cube trick?"

"Not over an open line. But keep that thought in mind. I'll be there soon."

Three days later, Kate had Rick, Ryan, Esposito and Lanie, Flynn and Simone Carsen and Officer Morgenstern in her office with the door closed.

"Collette is Collette Stenger, an escaped Federal prisoner doing life without parole." Kate briefly went over the details of her escape. "I called the US Attorney's Office for South Florida and was directed to the Department of Justice in DC. They were not willing to discuss her case at all, other than to say if they recapture her, they will never allow her to go free if they can help it. They'll never agree to keep her in anything but the Federal supermax prison she was in, and they'll never allow her to have any privileges, no matter what. Then they hung up on me."

"For a seriously bad chick, she seems to have gone out of her way for you." Espo said. "From her record, she sounds more like the type who'd put a round in your head. Any chance she isn't all that bad and the government is covering something up and blaming her?"

Kate shook her head. "I don't know. Rick and I are keeping an eye out for any news about Collette. If she ever needs help, we'll try to help her, even if she really is, or was, seriously bad."

Kate held up a photo. "Rita Sullivan. Stabbed the father of her child, Doug McClain, retired pro football player, after he refused to donate a kidney for the kid. The kid died. However, his wife found him with a knife in his neck and finished the job, getting rid of her cheating husband."

"You'd think Rita would get some sympathy." Ryan said. "What happened?"

"A DA with political ambitions. He decided to show the voters in Miami that they were safe from knife wielding ex-girlfriends. Rita got twenty five to life for attempted murder. According to the Miami police, both Rita and an "unidentified" Federal prisoner went to a hospital at the same time. They escaped and they found two guards dead and a dead man in doctor's scrubs. It turned out the guy was a very capable and high priced hit man. They thought that Rita or Collette was behind the killings until some people in the Federal Prison system were found to have gotten very rich all of a sudden. The Miami cops got to talk to one of them who said he'd been paid to get Collette out of the prison so she could be killed. Then the Feds swooped in, took over the case, and refused to share anything with the local cops." Kate looked at the prison photo of Rita. "Rita didn't deserve what she got. If she ever gets caught, I'll try to help her."

"We'll help her." Rick said, taking her hand.

"We'll all help her." Simone added.

"Last is Raina Mavias, a Russian. She was the mistress of an LA gangster named Virgil Vidalos. Apparently Vidalos had Raina's younger sister, Staysa, brought from Russia to the US. However, the people who took Staysa got wasted and decided to rape her. She resisted and was beaten with a bottle and suffered irreversible brain damage. Basically she's a vegetable. Raina was later told this by a cousin of Virgil's named Alex and he told her that Virgil knew all about it and lied to her. Raina started killing the men responsible for Staysa, beginning with some outlaw bikers that provided muscle for Vidalos. She planned on killing Virgil last, but when she got to him, a dirty cop named Beck, on Vidalos' payroll, somehow proved to her that Alex and not Virgil had covered up what happened to Staysa. She's a person of interest to the LAPD for the killings of some bikers and she's wanted for the murder of Vidalos. Now, Raina told me that the dirty cop killed Vidalos to get out from under the man and then blamed her. In addition to being wanted, apparently Vidalos' widow has a contract out on her. Even if she didn't kill Vidalos, the widow wants her dead for being his mistress."

"The good news, such as here is any, "Rick said, "is that Staysa has been moved from the charity ward she was in to a top of the line care facility. Not that it's going to do her much good."

"What do we do now?"Espo asked.

"As far as I can tell, the only crime anyone committed in my jurisdiction was the theft of a motorcycle. The killings of the Renfrews were found to be justifiable homicide. And I don't think I'll make the theft of a motorcycle much of a priority for my precinct."

"Besides," Simone said, "according to Kate, there were at least three women who looked like her around. I'm sure I couldn't tell you which one it was. I couldn't possibly positively identify the thief. Could either of you?"

Rick shook his head.

Officer Morgenstern smiled. "She looked like me. Who knows, maybe I stole it."

"So what do we do now?" Ryan asked.

"We do our jobs."

Sometime later. Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Estados Unidos Mexicanos.

The three women looked at the sign being put on top of their restaurant and bar. The blonde laughed. "Las Tres Virgenes? The Three Virgins. Really, Collette?"

Collette laughed too. "Okay, so we're not really virgins, but we are brand new people. New names, new identities and new futures. And I like it."

"So do I." Rita said. "And before you know it, we'll get Staysa out of that hospital the Castles put her in, then we'll all be together. Who knows? Maybe we can finally find a good man for each of us. Maybe I could have another Caleb someday."

"I never thought about being a mother until I met Theo," Collette said, "but I might like that."

Raina nodded. "I just wish Kate wasn't a cop. I'd love to bring them down here and give them the vacation of a lifetime. I was so worried about Staysa all alone in LA."

"And I'd like to meet those two other women who look like her, and us. I saw them just briefly."

They saw Carlos, their bar manager, coming towards them.

" _Hola, Carlos. Que paso_?"

"Senorita Collette, you three must meet the lady who has applied for a job as a bartender."

"You're our manager, and we trust you. Are you afraid she can't do the job?"

"No. She is very pretty, speaks Spanish, is very _simpatico_ and is a good bartender."

"Then what's the problem? Hire her."

"No, you must come and meet her. All of you."

"Okay, Carlos, but why?"

"Her name is Marianne and she is blind in one eye…."

And the three walked to a new chapter in their life.

The End

 **Author's note: I am writing a sequel to Four of a Kind and Alexis's in Wonderland. Once again Rick and Kate will travel to odd and invariably dangerous alternate Earths. I've got some 42000 words done and it'll be done…Um, when it's done. In the meantime, enjoy the After…series.**


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